Tangent Theatre Presents THE VANDAL, Now thru 3/30

Tangent Theatre Company, based in their intimate Carpenter Shop Theater in Tivoli's village center, is preparing for their Spring 2014 production: a four-week run of the searching, dark comedy The Vandal by Hamish Linklater (tonight, March 6 - 30, 2014).

Set on a cold night at a bus stop in Kingston, New York, the play is a story of lost souls intersecting. Playwright Linklater is probably best known for his acting credentials, having appeared on stage in Seminar (Broadway), in numerous off-Broadway plays and in a range of Shakespeare productions; television audiences have seen him on such shows as HBO's The Newsroom, CBS' The Crazy Ones and The New Adventures of Old Christine, to name a few.

Tangent's production of The Vandal will be the play's second so far, having been produced off-Broadway in New York by the famed Flea Theater earlier last year. The show will feature New York-based actors Samuel Hoeksema and Jill Van Note, along with Tangent's Artistic Director, actor Michael Rhodes (Van Note and Rhodes are members of Actors' Equity Association). The play will be directed by the Hudson Valley's Amy Lemon Olson, a veteran AEA actress.

Van Note appeared alongside Rhodes in Tangent's production of Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley in 2010 and their NEWvember New Plays Festival in 2012. Rhodes and Lemon Olson were last seen on stage in the acclaimed production of Good People by David Lindsay Abaire, presented by Half Moon Theatre Company in Poughkeepsie in 2013.

"I knew instantly this play would be our next production. I love the ideas explored in it, the quiet struggles of these lost characters and their search for connection and meaning. Those aspects made it a perfect play for Tangent" says Rhodes. "I've known Jill for many years and let her know as soon as I finished reading it 'Get ready, we're doing this.' I also got a taste of Amy's directing style when she took on one of our NEWvember short plays a few months ago. I felt this play in particular could use a female voice, and she'd be perfect to take the helm. She understands the complexities of these characters and the many layers at work in the story. She also had the perfect last piece for our cast, the young actor Samuel Hoeksema whom she saw in a show in Hudson. We knew we struck gold the minute he walked into the audition" he adds.

The play has a local appeal. Set in Kingston, it takes place on a cold night at a bus stop and evolves to a few other neighborhood locations. This particular setting is intriguing (Linklater is originally from the Hudson Valley region and had family in Kingston), and makes for a compelling backdrop locals can appreciate.

Gaining wider visibility after their highly acclaimed production of the American Premiere of Christian O'Reilly's The Good Father in 2012 (featuring Rhodes), and along with their popular pub-readings, Tangent Theatre has now become a unique destination for character-driven, compelling works. Tangent (in association with AboutFACE Ireland) recently wrapped their third highly successful NEWvember New Plays Festival to record-breaking attendance, an exciting weekend showcase of new plays by eight talented writers.

Founded in New York City in 2000 by Dutchess County natives Andrea and Michael Rhodes and Keith Teller, the company re-located to Tivoli in 2009. In addition to The Good Father and NEWvember, Tangent has produced such plays as Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies, Shanley's Doubt: A Parable, The Zoo Story by Edward Albee and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

The Vandal by Hamish Linklater; Tangent Theatre Company @ The Carpenter Shop Theater, 60 Broadway, Tivoli. March 6 -30, 2014; Thursdays - Saturdays 8pm; Sundays 3pm; tickets $20, on sale March 1. For more info, tangent-arts.org.

Pictured: Jill Van Note and Tangent's Michael Rhodes; courtesy Deborah Lopez-Lynch.

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